America and Bahrain Winter: Analysis of the Relationship Between the USA and the Sunnis in Bahrain

Many would wonder why Washington reviewed ties with its old allies, such as the royal families and the Sunni sect in the Arabian Gulf. In spite of the advantages the USA had received over the past decades, it had lately reached an advanced level of political and military leverage, which was later legitimized by the agreement signed between the two sides. It was not a form of occupation, as some might have previously thought or still thinks. For this reason, this book humbly tries to explain the nature of the existing relationship between Washington and the Sunni sect in Bahrain. It would be very difficult to understand it in isolation of what is going on in the Middle East, notably the Gulf region. The book, America and the Bahrain Winter, is a serious attempt to understand the crisis that hit Bahrain in 2011 and caused it to grapple with its repercussions for many months, not knowing whether and when it will come to an end. This crisis is not a usual one; it is complex and with a set of intertwined local, regional, and international factors. It is a perfect example where theories such as the domino and butterfly approaches should be applied to analyze the relations within the Bahraini political system and those in the neighboring countries. The book covers the period from February to September 2011. But it also covers the earlier decades to facilitate deeper analysis.